WRITING THE SELF-STUDY REPORT
Traditional Option Departmental Self-Study Guidelines
A self-study must be prepared by each department under review. The following is a
description of what should be included in each section of the self-study. Also included are
questions to be used as guidelines in completing the document. Departments may include
other information they deem relevant to the self-study. Note: Not all questions will be
pertinent to all programs; write a brief, coherent narrative for each section, using the
applicable questions as guidelines. The self-studies are to be no more than 12-15 pages in
length (not including appendices).
Please list each program offered by the Department and provide the requested information
about each. If the information provided is common to programs within a department,
please state this in appropriate places in the self-study.
I.
Purposes, Goals, and Objectives
This section contains a brief statement of the philosophies, goals, and academic
objectives of the academic program(s) under review, as well as a brief description of
the program(s). This section of the self-study document should also contain a
discussion of how those responsible for the program ascertain that the goals,
objectives, and purposes are being met. There should also be a brief discussion of
the ways in which the program serves the needs of its constituency, of the
relationship of the program to the goals and objectives of the university, and of the
interrelationship of the program to other programs in the University.
1. What programs does your Department offer? What are the primary purposes,
goals, and objectives of the programs? How do they relate to student, university,
and/or the community needs?
2. How well is each program meeting its primary goals and objectives? How is
this determined?
3. What educational objectives are being considered for the program in the future,
and what resources would be required to support those objectives?
4. How does the program contribute to the full range of the University’s instructional
needs: service, undergraduate, graduate, evening, weekend, etc.?
II.
Curriculum and Program Quality
Describe the curriculum offered by your department and explain how well it fits
the department’s goals and programs. In doing so consider the following
questions:
1. What are the major features of the curriculum offered by your department?
Of your department’s curriculum? In what ways does your curriculum relate
to the programs and service functions offered by your department?
2. What are the current national trends in your discipline and to what extent do
your department’s instructional and research activities match those trends?
3. What recent, ongoing, or planned curriculum revision is occurring in your
department and what is the rationale supporting it?
4. To what extent does the program contribute to the instruction of students in
other undergraduate and graduate programs at Cleveland State University? In
what other undergraduate or graduate programs does your department play a
key role?
5. If the program or any of its components is subject to outside accreditation, what
have been the results? Has the program become stronger or weaker since the
last accreditation? In what ways? What is the evidence?
III.
Faculty
This section should describe the characteristics of the faculty in your Department.
Include evidence of teaching quality in your programs. Include evidence of
research, creative/scholarly activity, publications, external funding, and University
and professional service, and include information on how much time is spent by
faculty on research, scholarship/ creative activities, and on University and
professional service. Include information on special awards, external research
funding, and activities. As a supplement attach brief (no more than 3 pages,
including front and back) curriculum vitae for each faculty member. As a guideline
use the following questions:
1. How well do the expertise, education, and numbers of the departmental faculty
match the needs of the programs it offers? In what ways, if any, does the faculty
need to be augmented to strengthen existing programs or to respond to current
trends in your discipline?
2. How many of the faculty are engaged in productive scholarly/research and
creative activities, and how is productivity measured? How does the
scholarly/creative activity of the faculty (as reflected in the production of articles,
books, performances, etc.) compare to that of peer institutions?
3. What are the internal and external sources of support for the program’s
scholarly, research, and creative activities? Is this pattern typical of the
discipline and if it is not typical, how are the differences explained?
4. How is effective teaching identified, supported, and rewarded?
5. What is the average teaching load in this program?
6. What is the average number of students in the courses?
7. What university, community, and professional service contributions do the faculty
in this program make?
8. How do these various types of service contribute to the goals and/or functioning
of the University?
IV.
Students
Included in this section should be information on the proportion of entering students
who complete the degree program, the involvement of students in projects with
applications beyond the classroom, and the types of positions obtained by graduating
students.
Describe the assistance provided in the areas of academic advising for undergraduate
and graduate students. Also describe the supervision of dissertation and thesis
research, independent study, and practice for graduate students. Information on
internships and field experience for both undergraduate and graduate students
should be provided when appropriate. An analysis of the demand for those
graduating from the program should also be included. The following questions may
be helpful:
1. How is academic advising provided for the program, and how effective are
the processes? How could advising be improved?
2. What percentages of entering students complete the degree program? What
is the rationale for this figure?
3. What pertinent honors and awards have been won by students in the program
or by graduates of the program?
4. How many students in the program are involved in internships, co-op, field
placement, etc.? Please describe the range of activities and their relationship to
the program.
5. To what extent are graduates of the program successful in obtaining
positions appropriate to the level of their education, training, and ability,
and what is the evidence?
6. What assistance is provided to help students find suitable employment
or opportunities for further study?
7. Are students in the program continuing and succeeding in graduate and
professional study?
V.
Assessment
Information should include a list of the program’s specific goals for student learning,
evidence that the goals are being met, and discussion of how information about
student learning is being used to guide curriculum development or budget decisions.
The following questions may be helpful:
1. What are the specific goals and objectives for student learning in the program
major?
2. How do the courses in the program relate to the program goals and objectives
for learning? (course syllabi, evaluations, and other materials may be helpful
in documenting the relationship)
3. What methods and practices are used in assessing student learning in the
program (for example, standardized tests or licensing exams, student
portfolios, capstone projects, performance in courses, alumni surveys, etc.)?
4. What evidence has been developed to show the effectiveness of the
program in meeting its goals for student learning?
5. How is information about student learning outcomes used in planning,
budget processes, or other program development activities?
VI.
Resource Support
Discuss the strengths and limitations of the library holdings in the program under
review. Also discuss how library acquisitions are determined to meet the needs in this
particular program. Discuss the strengths and weaknesses of the technological
support, the facilities, and the staff support for this program.
A.
Library
1. To what extent does the library have sufficient resources to support
current academic activities and provide for future activities?
2. To what extent do the budget resources support the purchase of or
access to the necessary range of library materials for current and for
future academic activities?
3. To what extent are the materials in the collections readily available
and accessible to meet the needs to students in the program?
4. To what extent are necessary services--e.g. access to copy machines,
inter- library loans, access to data bases, computers, etc.--readily
B.
available to faculty and students?
Technology
1. In what ways is technology incorporated into your program?
2. To what extent are the technology resources available adequate
for your program’s needs?
3. What specific technological limitations need to be addressed and how can
they be improved?
VII.
Other Support--Facilities, Travel, Staff, etc.
1. To what extent does the program have enough office and classroom space
to accomplish its goals? Are the offices and classrooms properly
equipped? What, if any, improvements are needed?
2. To what extent are the physical space and facilities provided for
graduate students adequate?
3. To what extent are adequate numbers of properly equipped
laboratories available?
4. To what extent are the telephone, copying, and other allowances
adequate to support faculty in their professional activities? To what
extent does faculty have sufficient travel allowance support to attend
seminars and conferences?
5. To what extent are there enough support staff to support both faculty
and students?
VIII.
Statistical Trends Analysis
Insofar as data are available and the information is not already provided above, write
an analysis of statistical trends in the program for the last three years. Consider such
things as the following: student credit hour production at various levels, number of
full-time faculty vs. number of part-time faculty, number of students enrolled in the
program, the average annual number of graduates (if applicable), graduation rates (if
applicable), number of students involved in internships, co-op, field placement, etc.
Include an analysis of any other statistical information available which sheds light on
the programs current state and likely future directions.
IX.
Appendices
Appendices may be created for additional charts, graphs and tables reports or other
supporting information. The appendices are not counted in the 12 page limit.